The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and six other global leaders, have announced a global initiative that aims to bring evidence-based healthcare to the forefront.
Global initiative
The initiative, known as World Evidence-based Healthcare (EBHC) Day, will be held every year on 20th October. The aim of this worldwide initiative is to raise awareness of the need for better evidence to help inform healthcare policy, practice and decision making in order to improve global health outcomes.
The necessity for EBHC is becoming increasingly apparent. This is due to the increased availability of digital information, more informed patients, integration of new technologies, increased healthcare costs, complex adaptive health systems and an ageing population.
World EBHC Day committee chair, Bianca Pilla, stated:
“World EBHC day is an opportunity for collaboration in the ever-evolving sphere of global health and will provide a platform to discuss and debate the challenges and innovations in evidence-informed approaches to improving health outcomes globally.
As a global evidence community, we are working together to close this gap and overcome barriers to advance the use of reliable research evidence to address some of the world’s most serious health challenges.”
Now more than ever
The need to share best practices for using evidence to improve health outcomes is now more important than ever. Specifically, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised the importance of utilising best available evidence. For example, the rapid implementation of effective hand washing and appropriate use of PPE to help control the spread of the virus.
Executive director at JBI, Professor Zoe Jordan, stated:
“Globally, healthcare environments are changing rapidly which leads to a need for guidance to practice high-quality, effective care.
Now, more than ever, we see the value, the necessity, of having access to the best available research evidence. Not only for what is effective, but what is feasible or appropriate in different clinical or geographical settings.”
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